Reasons for Designation
Wayside crosses are one of several types of Christian cross erected during the
medieval period, mostly from the 9th to 15th centuries AD. In addition to
serving the function of reiterating and reinforcing the Christian faith
amongst those who passed the cross and of reassuring the traveller, wayside
crosses often fulfilled a role as waymarkers, especially in difficult and
otherwise unmarked terrain. The crosses might be on regularly used routes
linking ordinary settlements or on routes having a more specifically religious
function, including those providing access to religious sites for parishioners
and funeral processions, or marking long-distance routes frequented on
pilgrimages.
Over 350 wayside crosses are known nationally, concentrated in south west
England throughout Cornwall and on Dartmoor where they form the commonest type
of stone cross. A small group also occurs on the North York Moors. Relatively
few examples have been recorded elsewhere and these are generally confined to
remote moorland locations.
Outside Cornwall almost all wayside crosses take the form of a `Latin' cross,
in which the cross-head itself is shaped within the projecting arms of an
unenclosed cross. In Cornwall wayside crosses vary considerably in form and
decoration. The commonest type includes a round, or `wheel', head on the faces
of which various forms of cross or related designs were carved in relief or
incised, the spaces between the cross arms possibly pierced. The design was
sometimes supplemented with a relief figure of Christ and the shaft might bear
decorative panels and motifs. Less common forms in Cornwall include the
`Latin' cross and, much rarer, the simple slab with a low relief cross on both
faces. Rare examples of wheel-head and slab-form crosses also occur within the
North York Moors group. Most wayside crosses have either a simple socketed
base or show no evidence for a separate base at all.
Wayside crosses contribute significantly to our understanding of medieval
religious customs and sculptural traditions and to our knowledge of medieval
routeways and settlement patterns. All wayside crosses which survive as earth-
fast monuments, except those which are extremely damaged and removed from
their original locations, are considered worthy of protection.
The wayside cross 65m west of St Uny's church has survived well, and is a good
example of a wheel-headed cross. Its decoration with a figure of Christ on one
face and a cross on the other, is rare. It has the largest figure of Christ
motif on a wheel headed cross in Cornwall. The removal of the cross from
Lelant Lane in the later 19th century and its re-erection in the cemetery to
the west of St Uny's Church, illustrates well the changing attitudes to
religion and the impact of crosses on the local landscape since the medieval
period.
Details
The monument includes a medieval wayside cross situated in the cemetery to the
west of St Uny's Church.
The cross survives as an upright granite shaft with a round, `wheel' head. The
overall height of the monument in 2.01m. The principal faces are orientated
north west-south east. Both principal faces are decorated, and have a narrow
bead around their outer edges; the bead on the north west face is chipped at
the top and is of irregular width. The north west face bears a large relief
figure of Christ, with outstretched arms and the head inclined to one side.
The legs and out-turned feet extend down onto the top of the shaft. The south
east face bears a relief Latin cros, the lower limb extending down onto the
shaft. The bead around the head also extends down either side of the shaft on
this face. The shaft measures 1.51m high by 0.43m wide and is 0.25m thick.
This wayside cross was originally located in Lelant Lane, and was recorded
there in the 1850s. By 1896 the cross had been moved to its present position
in the cemtery where it was recorded by the historian Langdon. It is Listed
Grade II*.
MAP EXTRACT
The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract.
It includes a 2 metre boundary around the archaeological features,
considered to be essential for the monument's support and preservation.
